Murder 'out of greed' sends South Valley man to prison for 77 to life

A jury convicted 64-year-old Harbhajan Mundi of murdering Nizam Rajabali at the Aztecs Gas Station & Liquor Store in 2018.

Saturday, August 6, 2022
Murder 'out of greed' sends South Valley man to prison for 77 to life
A jury convicted 64-year-old Harbhajan Mundi of murdering Nizam Rajabali and shooting his son, Jahan, at the Aztecs Gas Station & Liquor Store.

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A South Valley man is headed to prison for killing his landlord four years ago at a Farmersville convenience store.

The loss of her husband has haunted Shirin Rajabali for four years.

"I wake up in the middle of the night and call his name all the time, crying 'Where are you? Where are you? I need you,'" she said.

A jury convicted 64-year-old Harbhajan Mundi of murdering Nizam Rajabali and shooting his son, Jahan, during a business meeting at the Aztecs Gas Station & Liquor Store.

RELATED: Gas station owner charged with murder and attempted murder after shooting in Farmersville

The Rajabali family traveled from L.A. to Visalia Friday to give Mundi a piece of their minds.

"You have a lack of empathy and consideration for other people, said Jahan Rajabali. "You're a true terrorist, blindsiding an elderly man and a room full of others, including my mother, with a loaded gun, planning to execute him in front of us."

"I don't want to describe my pain and suffering," said Dr. Murtaza Rajabali, a son of the victim. "I don't want to give him the pleasure of hearing that and all the harm that he's caused."

The Rajabalis believe Mundi planned the attack, tried to shoot his gas station landlord in the back of the head, and had a hammer ready to finish the job if the shooting failed.

And they believe he did it for money.

"He's a greedy person," said Dr. Murtaza Rajabali. "He did this out of greed."

Mundi's defense attorney, Tony Capozzi, argued his client had mental health issues that contributed to his aberrant behavior.

"He was taking pills for anxiety, depression, and psychosis," Capozzi said. "Something just went wrong this particular day."

They'll appeal the jury's verdict convicting Mundi of first degree murder and attempted murder and finding him sane at the time.

For now though, Mundi will now head to prison where he'll serve a sentence of 77 years to life.